Blood. Guts. Sex. Horror. Disgusting bodily fluids. If you see all of these in one place, you’re likely watching aDavid Cronenbergfilm. His fascination with psychosexual psychology, our relationship to technology, and the human condition is not only iconic but also makes his films clear as day. Not every Cronenberg film is super nasty, but if it’s super nasty, it’s probably a Cronenberg film.
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With some of his films having the nastiest, goriest scenes put to screen, it’s easy to forget that behind his willingness to freak out the audience is a filmmaker who has a distinctly human touch. Willing to ask necessary questions about the future,his body horror scenesleave you both disgusted and pondering the implications long after the viewing.
Insects Go Brrrrr — ‘Shivers’ (1975)
Shiversis a simple movie with a simple premise — parasites turn people into sex-crazy monsters, and normal people are caught in the middle. Outside of the obvious beginnings of Cronenberg’s obsession with insects and sex, this early film from the director also features some of the more disgusting sequences of his career.
Specifically, whenever the parasites themselves come out of the bodies, it’s just nasty. Bugs, for the most part, aren’t easy on the eyes, but seeing them in this state is beyond gross and disturbing. Despite all the sexual content present inShivers, it’s the parasites that will stick in your head long after the credits roll.
Probably Cronenberg’s first big hit with critics and audiences,The Broodis a tale of motherhood gone wrong… or very right. If anything,The Broodis a meditation on the general anxieties of parenthood, feeling like a bizarre, more horror-based companion piece toDavid Lynch’sEraserheadthan anything else.
It also features a scene where Nola (Samantha Eggar), our leading lady, licks her fetus clean of blood with her tongue after giving birth. While it’s meant to emulate what animals do when they give birth, seeing a human being do it is pretty repulsive, honestly. Vomit bags, please.
Most fans of Cronenberg and even most internet denizens know about this one. You’ve all seen it likely in response to Earth-shattering reveals of all kinds — a guy’s head bursts like a balloon, launching brain matter and blood everywhere on screen. It’s disgusting, gory, and nasty, but also pretty radical and awesome at the same time.
It’s also from the movieScanners, one of Cronenberg’s more popular movies and one of his more accessible ones despite the immense gore. It’s not one of his most profound films but undoubtedly one of his most bizarre and fun, and when a guy’s head pops like a tomato, you know you are in for a treat.
The New Flesh — ‘Videodrome’ (1983)
Videodromemight still be Cronenberg’s best film when all is said and done. The story of a television executive looking for the next hit showis a tale of techno-sexuality, transformations, and the fears that came with watershed television at the time. It’s still a relevant picture as our desensitization to media grows, and suddenly we are looking a lot like the people who watch Videodrome.
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The “new flesh” in particular is what our lead Max Renn (James Woods) becomes once he merges with Videodrome itself or, at the very least, the people behind it. It’s not entirely clear, but it’s not meant to be — instead, it’s meant to be experienced, and everything involving his transformation is creepy and bizarre. And gross. It’s so gross.
Everything in ‘The Fly’ — ‘The Fly’ (1986)
Is it cheating to include the entire movie? Probably, butThe Flyis just too nasty and weird to pass up. Cronenberg’s most popular film tells the story of a mad scientist who accidentally turns himself into a man-fly hybrid after experimenting with a transporter: it serves as a cautionary tale about science, a metaphor for the AIDS crisis, and a fun creature feature all rolled into one.
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Well, maybe fun isn’t exactly the right word when skin is literally falling off ofJeff Goldblum’s face throughout the movie. Seth Brundle’s transformation into the titular fly is not only the stuff of industry legend (it rightfully won an Academy Award for its groundbreaking makeup work) but also horrific and disturbing. When you see him fully shed his human skin, that’s when you know true fear.
Centipede Man — ‘Naked Lunch’ (1991)
One of Cronenberg’s more surreal and experimental films,Naked Lunchis difficult to explain. It ends up being mostly a surrealist nightmare involving Cronenberg’s signatures — bugs, psychosexual imagery, and meditations on our relationship to technology. It also happens to be among his best and most unnerving.
In one particular scene, our lead meets a gay Swiss man who appears to look like… a centipede. You can put two-and-two together how you wish as it makes just as much sense in context, but it’s ultimately effective and looks really gross.
The Most Brutal Gangster Fight Ever — ‘Eastern Promises’ (2007)
1999’seXistenZwas Cronenberg’s final body horror film for a while as he shifted gears to other genres. During this period, he would release two of his best works: AHistory of ViolenceandEastern Promises. Both are thrillers starringViggo Mortensonand are realistically gory and violent, a far cry from the more surreal violence of Cronenberg’s earlier work.
ButEastern Promisesis just as nasty and gross, particularly the now infamous bathhouse brawl featuring nudity, eye gouging, and copious amounts of blood. But what makes it shocking is how realistic it is — it genuinely feels like you are watching a man kill these people, and it becomes uncomfortable in a good way.
Pretty Much Every Surgery Scene — ‘Crimes of the Future’ (2022)
Despite how recent it is,Crimes of the Future, his grand return to the realm of science fiction and body horror, might end up being one of his most nauseating. And it’s not like it’s his most disturbing —Crimes of the Futureis almost a tender, slow-burn character drama that focuses more on big ideas than straight-up scaring you, but it’s gross and icky for one reason alone. Surgery.
The graphic surgery scenes are realistic, medically accurate, and highly detailed to boot, which should prove difficult to stomach for most audiences (doctors notwithstanding). The plastic-eating is another thing entirely, though that’s more just weird than just disturbing or gross.
